Urgent Aid for a Family Facing Hardship and Health Issues

My husband had been the Executive Director for our local homeless shelter for years, helping homeless individuals and families with shelter, food, employment searches, move-in assistance, food, furniture, etc. In February, he had to close the doors due to lack of funding. Since Covid, getting funding, including grants, to keep the shelter open became harder and harder to the point where it just was not enough. Not only did that mean no more shelter for our homeless community, it also meant he no longer had employment himself. December of last year, the contract I had been working under for my job ended and I needed to find another place to work. I was able to find another job but making a lot less than I was. Over the years I had also built up a small farm, with loads of chickens as well as Nigerian Dwarf goats.

Fast forward to now, my husband had been receiving unemployment - and even though it was not a lot (unemployment really does not pay very much, even at the max) and his benefits through EDD have run out. He has health issues both physical and chronic, being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder last year, but has still been looking for employment. That is, until he had to have surgery a couple weeks ago. I myself have been looking for a 2nd part-time job and have not yet found one. A lot of places do not want to work with someone that has limited availability and I already work Monday-Friday 8am - 5 PM.

December there was a storm that blew down the fence separating my bucks from my does (goats) and the end result was a lot of pregnant does. I have since been able to find new farms for the bucks but am left with babies I have been desperately trying to sell to no avail.

With me not making the same amount of money, and my husband's unemployment ending, I am in a position where I need to ask for assistance to purchase food for my animals. As much as it breaks my heart, I am aware I need to find new homes all of my goats, including Freya, my very 1st goat that I got February right before Covid and bottle fed. I have been trying to sell our baby goats and have only managed to sell 2 of the 7.

Everything we have worked so hard for is slowly slipping away. And hubby's health and recovery from his surgery is still not in a place it should be for work, but he is still trying to find something. We are struggling to find a way to pay our utilities and bills much less feed for the animals.

Which brings me to the reason for this GoFundMe. Hay costs $18-20 a bale, Chicken Scratch is $22, Lay Pellets $25 and Chick crumble usually around $20-$24 depending. As much as I hate asking others for help in taking care of my animals, I am not sure what else to do. I am still trying to find ways on how we will be able to successfully pay our mortgage, utilities, and other necessities so my last resort is to ask for help, especially since we are the ones that help others, and try to help build other people up and do what we can for them. My husband is the most selfless person I have ever met in my life.

And if anyone is interested in Nigerian Dwarf goats or adding some barnyard mix chickens- reach out!

Thank you for taking the time to read this and allowing me to be vulnerable to strangers on the internet.